Founder Greg Lais
The story of Wilderness Inquiry begins with the vision and tenacity of our founder, Greg Lais. In the 1970s, as a college student with a passion for Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), Greg saw a disconnect between the health and wellness benefits of nature and those who had access to it.
Fueled by conversations around disability rights and early adventures with YMCA camps and a Stillwater special education teacher, he and a college friend led an integrated canoe trip into the Boundary Waters in 1977 that included people with and without physical disabilities. This event sparked an unshakable belief that would become Greg’s life’s work: The shared challenge of an integrated wilderness adventure is a powerful pathway to building community around our common humanity.
For more than four decades, Greg was at the stern, guiding Wilderness Inquiry from a “wild idea” at a lakeside tipi into a nationally-respected organization. He was more than just a guide; he was a pioneering builder and compassionate innovator. Building on his wilderness experiences and advocacy for disability rights, Greg developed the philosophical and practical frameworks that define our organization today, including the groundbreaking “Seven Steps to Full Participation.” He spearheaded the creation of innovative adaptive equipment like the Wilderness Rickshaw and championed the building of our iconic 10-person North Canoes.
His leadership turned skepticism into support, securing the organization’s first permanent headquarters and forging the early federal partnerships that would solidify Wilderness Inquiry’s reputation as a national leader in outdoor accessibility.
After 42 years of leadership, Greg retired in 2020, leaving behind a thriving organization and a lasting legacy of inclusive outdoor adventure. His final act as Executive Director was to secure a strong financial future for the organization through the sale of its first headquarters building, ensuring the mission would carry on for generations to come. Today, Greg’s vision and spirit of inclusion continue to guide the trips we lead, the programs we launch, and every person we welcome into the Wilderness Inquiry community.
Early Friends Who Helped Shape Our Mission
Margot Imdieke Cross
Margot Imdieke Cross joined the first Wilderness Inquiry trip in 1977 and helped shape the core philosophy of our fledgling organization. On that trip, Margot crossed a mile-long portage on her own with her wheelchair. Her tenacity was a defining moment for the trip, and ultimately gave rise to Greg Lais’ belief of supporting people as they make their own decisions about what they can accomplish, without making assumptions about their abilities, backgrounds, or identities. Over many decades, Margot guided the organization to a place where everyone is encouraged to find their best selves on outdoor adventures. Professionally, Margot served at the Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD) for 35 years, providing technical assistance on state and federal access requirements and championing significant accessibility improvements in outdoor recreation infrastructure.
Paul Schurke
A world-renowned adventurer with a deep commitment to the power of shared outdoor adventures in building community, Paul Schurke was an important force in the founding of Wilderness Inquiry. After connecting with Greg Lais over a shared passion for preserving the Boundary Waters, Paul helped co-lead the first pivotal and integrated trip in 1977 and was instrumental in formally establishing the nonprofit organization a year later. He wasn’t just a co-leader on the trail; he was a co-architect of the organization in those early days, even crafting the early mission statement: “Bringing People Together in the Wilderness.” Paul’s adventurous spirit famously carried him to the North Pole on a historic 1986 dogsled expedition, embodying the bold, exploratory ethos that he learned from his early Wilderness Inquiry adventures.
Bill Simpson
A pivotal figure from the very beginning, Bill Simpson was a Stillwater special education teacher whose passion for the outdoors was matched only by his dedication to his students. As one of the original co-op members of the tipi on Farm Lake, he didn’t just share the property he activated it, running some of the very first outdoor programs for students with disabilities and hiring a young Greg Lais to help. It was Bill who, along with a fellow teacher, first coined the name “Wilderness Inquiry.” His early vision, mentorship, and pioneering work in adaptive education were an essential catalyst for the bold exploratory culture of the early organization, laying the groundwork for how to empower everyone who would adventure with our organization for decades to follow.